Soles for plow pusher shoes

ABSTRACT

A wear sole attaches to the bottom portion of existing shoes on pusher/box plows used for snow removal. The wear sole protects the expensive shoes that come from the manufacturers from wear and reduces the frequency in which the shoes must be replaced.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/023,599 filed on Jul. 11, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of commercial snow removal. More particularly, the present invention relates to the use of snow pusher plows/box plows on skid steers, wheel loaders, or other equipment that is used for snow removal, and the wear that results from prolonged use of these snow pusher plows/box plows (particularly to the “shoes” on either side of the plow).

BACKGROUND

Commercial contractors in the snow removal industry use pusher plows or box plows to clear large lots (mainly industrial, commercial, and retail locations). As seen in FIG. 1, these pusher/box plows 10 attach to equipment 14, such as wheel loaders, skid steers, and other large machinery. The pusher/box plows come in a variety of configurations but generally include spaced apart vertical sides 18, a rear wall 22, and shoes 26 at the bottom of the spaced apart vertical sides 18. The pusher/box plows 10 work very well to collect snow, move it, and stack it. As a result of prolonged use pushing snow across pavement, the shoes 26 mounted to the sides 18 of the pushers 10 become worn and routinely need to be replaced. Generally, the majority of the wear on these shoes 26 occurs on the bottom portion of the shoe where the pusher is pressed against the pavement. The wear is uneven, and often the whole shoe 26 must be replaced when only the bottom is worn. The shoes 26 work great, but they are very expensive, and create a lot of waste due to uneven wear patterns. At up to seven-hundred dollars retail, the cost to replace the pusher/box plow shoes 26 places a very high, and somewhat unnecessary cost on the users, because they must replace portions of the shoe 26 that do not require replacement, due to the 3-sided, single-piece construction.

As such, there is a need for a less expensive, more functional option for pusher/box plow shoes. There is a need for a plow shoe that is less expensive to replace. There is also a need for a plow shoe that wears evenly. It is inefficient and wasteful to constantly replace shoes, when a large portion of the shoe is in near perfect condition. A shoe that wears evenly, and costs less would greatly help commercial contractors within the snow removal market.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that one or more aspects of this invention can meet certain objectives, while one or more other aspects can lead to certain other objectives. Other objects, features, benefits and advantages of the present invention will be apparent in this summary and descriptions of the disclosed embodiment, and will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such objects, features, benefits and advantages will be apparent from the above as taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures and all reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art pusher/box plow attached to machinery;

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of a shoe for a pusher/box plow with one embodiment of a wear sole in accordance with the invention attached thereto;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the shoe and wear sole of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a detail bottom exploded perspective view of the shoe and wear sole of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a detail bottom perspective view of a portion of the wear sole of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a detail bottom perspective view of a portion of the shoe of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a detail side perspective view of the shoe and wear sole of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a detail side perspective view of the shoe and wear sole of FIG. 7, shown with the threaded bolt and lock washer removed; and

FIG. 9 is a detail side perspective view of the shoe and wear sole of FIG. 7, shown with the threaded bolt and lock washer installed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIG. 1, current pusher/box plows 10 for snow removal are adapted to be attached to large machinery 14. The box plow 10 has two spaced apart vertical sides 18 attached to a rear wall 22, with each side having a bottom edge, and a shoe 26 attached to each respective one of the vertical sides and protecting the bottom edge, the shoe 26 having a flat bottom plate 30 (see FIG. 2), and a perpendicular plate 34. The shoes 26 are attached to the box plow sides by bolts and nuts (not shown) received in holes 46 in the perpendicular plate 34 and holes in the respective box plow side 18. There are a variety of shapes and sizes of shoes 26 and the illustrated example is representative only and should not be interpreted as limiting the configuration or application of the present invention.

As seen in FIGS. 2-9, the present invention is a wear sole 60 adapted to be attached to the flat bottom plate 30 of the shoe 26 by spaced apart threaded bolts 64 passing through unthreaded openings 68 in the flat bottom shoe plate 30 and into threaded holes 72 in the wear sole 60. The wear sole 60 can be effectively made of AR400 abrasive-resistant steel although other materials could be used. The wear sole can be laser-cut from sheets and drilled and tapped for the threaded holes 72 to receive the bolts. Other manufacturing techniques could of course be used. FIGS. 5 and 8 are detailed views showing the threaded holes 72 in the wear sole 60. The bolts 64, as best seen in FIGS. 7-9, can be any effective fastener but it has been found effective to use ⅝ inch Grade 8 bolts and lock washers. Depending on the bolt, a lock washer or other washer may or may not be required. The shape of the wear sole 60 is determined by the specifications and sizing of the snow pusher/box plow shoe 26 that it will be attached to. Although in less preferred embodiments (not shown) a wear sole 60 with dimensions smaller than the existing shoe 26 surface can be used, it has been found most effective to closely match the shape of the existing shoe 26 bottom surface.

Once cut, holes 72 are drilled and tapped into the wear sole 60, to receive the bolts 64 after they are passed through the shoe 26. Once these holes 72 in the wear sole 60 are drilled and tapped, corresponding holes or unthreaded openings 68 are drilled in the existing shoe 26, to make room for the bolts 64 to pass through to the threaded holes 72 in the wear sole 60. When the threaded holes 72 in the wear sole 60 and the unthreaded holes 68 in the shoe 26 are lined-up (FIG. 8), the bolts 64 and lock washers (if necessary depending on bolt selection) are passed-through the unthreaded holes 68 in the shoe 26 and screwed into the threaded holes 72 of the wear sole 60. (See FIGS. 7 and 9.)

While many different forms of hard, durable, abrasive-resistant material could be used to manufacture the wear soles 60 (including but not limited to acrylic materials, polyethylene materials, AR200 steel, COR-TEN® steel, and others), AR400 steel has proven most effective. Alternative bolts could be used in place of the ⅝ inch bolt 64 that has been found effective, and many different sizes would be needed to fit the different sizes of shoes 26 from the variety of manufacturers who produce pushers and box plows 10 with shoes 26.

The wear sole 60, built to preserve the life of the shoe 26, is created to be a less-expensive and more efficient wear-point on the pushers/box plows 10. Once the wear soles 60 are attached to the shoes 26, the operator simply uses the pusher/box plow 10 as he normally would. When the wear sole 60 is fully worn, the bolts 64 will pop-off or release their engagement, and the operator will then know it is time to replace the wear sole 60, to preserve the more expensive to replace shoes 26.

Although the invention has been herein described in what is perceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments set forth above. Rather, it is recognized that modifications may be made by one of skill in the art of the invention without departing from the spirit or intent of the invention and, therefore, the invention is to be taken as including all reasonable equivalents to the subject matter of the appended claims and the description of the invention herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A plow for snow removal comprising: two spaced apart sides, each of the sides having a bottom edge, a shoe attached to each respective one of the spaced apart sides and substantially covering the bottom edge, the shoe including a generally flat bottom plate and a perpendicular plate attached to the side; and a wear sole attached to each of the flat bottom plates of the shoes by a plurality of spaced apart threaded bolts passing through a plurality of unthreaded openings in the flat bottom plate and into a plurality of threaded holes in the wear sole.
 2. A wear sole for attachment to a snow removal plow having two spaced apart sides with bottom edges, the wear sole comprising a substantially planar surface having a plurality of threaded holes therein, each of the plurality of threaded holes dimensioned to threadingly receive a bolt passing through a corresponding unthreaded opening in a flat bottom plate portion of a shoe attached to the bottom edge of at least one of the two spaced apart sides.
 3. A kit for preserving a bottom plate of a shoe on a snow removal plow, the kit comprising: a wear sole dimensioned to cover substantially all of the bottom plate of the shoe, the wear sole having a plurality of threaded holes therein; and a plurality of threaded bolts sized to be able to pass through a plurality of unthreaded openings through the bottom plate of the shoe so as to be threaded into the plurality of threaded holes in the wear sole and secure the wear sole to the bottom plate of the shoe. 